


I Just Had to Check on You

by wellsaltedlady



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Identity Reveal, Angst, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Fluff, Ladrien June
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:20:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24816739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wellsaltedlady/pseuds/wellsaltedlady
Summary: "Tikki, I have to go check on him.""But Marinette, it was just a dream. Why don't you just text him?""Please, Tikki. I'll never be able to go back to sleep if I can't be sure that he's safe."A little Ladrien one-shot that became two one-shots in one via "Choose Your Own Ending" because I couldn't decide which way I preferred to take it.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 3
Kudos: 56





	1. The Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> #ladrienjune @ladrienjune 2020  
> Day 20: Scared

Marinette awoke with a start, panicked. "Adrien!" Her nightmare had been so vivid that her heart was pounding, her breathing rapid. After taking a few seconds to get her bearings, she flicked on her bedside lamp and whisper-called, "Tikki!"

"I'm here." The little goddess floated in front of her. "What did you dream about that frightened you so?"

Marinette's description was disjointed due to her just waking up. "Adrien... this horrible sentimonster...was sucking the life-essence out of him... took him to Hawk Moth. Hawk Moth de-transformed. He was a reeeeeally old man. Adrien shriveled up and became old, then Hawk Moth got younger. The sentimonster was transferring his youth. Then Adrien became dust and blew away and his clothes were lying on the floor and he was gone!" By this point, Marinette was tearing up and hyperventilating. "Tikki, I have to go check on him."

"But Marinette, it was just a dream. Why don't you just text him?"

"Please, Tikki. I'll never be able to go back to sleep if I can't be sure that he's safe. Let me just look through his window, please."

The goddess nodded and Marinette transformed into Ladybug. Less than sixty seconds later, she landed on the Agreste manor fence. Adrien's room was dark. She couldn't see anything inside. But his window was open. Ambivalence about entering his room was overcome by the reminder of her nightmare. She paused on his windowsill before hopping down into his room. Several seconds passed before her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Once she could see, she walked silently over to his bed. At last, laying eyes on him, she breathed an audible sigh of relief. She then froze, fearing that he might wake, but relaxed again once she realized that he hadn't stirred at all.  _ He's safe. It was just a bad dream. _ Watching his peaceful sleep, a smile dawned on her face. Her heart was still beating from all the adrenaline. Gradually, admiration replaced her fear. Without really thinking, she sat down on the edge of his bed, watching him, allowing the quiet and the darkness and his very-much-alive presence to calm her. Convinced he was sound asleep, she allowed herself the liberty of whispering, "I'm so glad you're okay, Adrien. I love you, and I just had to make sure that you were safe. I'll be going now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You get to choose what Ladybug does next. If she simply gets up to leave, go to Chapter 2. If she tries to sneak a kiss on his forehead before leaving, go to Chapter 3. (Bet you can't guess which one leads to fluff and which one leads to angst.)


	2. Ladybug walks away

She cherished his sleeping face for a few more seconds, then stood up and turned to leave. 

She made it halfway to the window before she heard, "Ladybug?" She stopped. "Ladybug, is that really you, or am I dreaming?" His voice held a sleepy curiosity.

She turned around to see Adrien sitting up in bed.  _ Beautiful. He is just as beautiful with bedhead. _

"Are you really Ladybug?" She could hear that worry had crept into his voice.  _ Of course! He might suspect me of being an illusion or a sentimonster. _

"Hi! Adrien. Yes, I'm Ladybug! Uh... you're probably wondering why I'm in your room in the middle of the night."

"Is there an akuma?"

"No!" She intertwined her fingers nervously. "Actually, I had a nightmare, and you were hurt, and I woke up feeling so scared that I just had to come check on you or I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep."

Adrien smiled, his heart full. "You're so sweet. Thank you for caring about me so much. I'm fine."

"Good! I'm glad. Well, then," she thrust a thumb over her shoulder, 'I'll be going now."

He quickly asked, "Ladybug?"

"Yes, Adrien?"

"Could you stay a few minutes? I don't get company often, and, I don't know about you, but I won't be able to fall back asleep right away."

Ladybug didn't answer right away.  _ He wants me to stay? To keep him company? Don't panic. Don't panic! Answer him. Say something! _

Adrien was starting to feel awkward and regretted asking the question. "Sorry, I guess that's weird to ask in the middle of the night."

Ladybug finally got her mouth to work. "No, no no! It's weird that I showed up here in the middle of the night, unannounced, uninvited. Um, yeah, yes, I'd be glad to keep you company." She smiled a little too broadly due to nervousness.

Adrien perked up. "Great! Um... Do you want to play a video game? As long as we keep our voices down, we should be fine."

The suggestion helped her feel at ease. "Sounds good!"

They played about half an hour of Ultimate Mecha Strike, stifling their laughs and banter, before agreeing to play something slower paced. After fifteen minutes of Frogs and Flies, Ladybug let out a big yawn. Adrien followed suit.

"I think this time I really  _ will _ be going." She smiled at him. "Thanks, I had a good time."

Adrien smiled back, but forgot to reply as he was gazing into her blue eyes, lost in admiration for her. Ladybug's smile melted away as she gazed into his eyes, leaving her lips slightly parted as she wondered where his thoughts were. Despite the darkness, he could see a blush form on her cheeks. 

Perhaps his sleepiness overcame his discretion, because he chuckled slightly at seeing her blush and said, "You're so beautiful." Instantly her cheeks became crimson. He realized his place and backtracked, scratching the back of his neck, "I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable. I..."

She cut him off, whispering, "Do you really mean that?"

Adrien considered his options, as well as he could at three in the morning.  _ If I tell her how I feel, she'll think I have some stupid celebrity crush. But if I deny it, she'll wonder why I just blurted that out. _ "Of course I do, Ladybug. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Plus, you're kind and compassionate, brave and resourceful. You're just plain amazing." Adrien looked away and tried to lighten the mood. "You know, if people knew where to write to you, you'd probably get more fan mail than I do. You certainly must have more admirers than I do." He looked back at her to gauge her reaction.

"I - I've never thought about it. But... thank you. You're beautiful, too."

Adrien was astonished. "You... think so?"

Ladybug gulped. "I said that, didn't I?"

He nodded.

"It's true. I think you're beautiful, and kind, and..." She was at a loss for words, losing herself in his eyes, in his words.

They had imperceptibly moved toward each other. Now their faces were quite close. Adrien took a chance as he leaned in and asked, "May I?"

She nodded, wondering if she were in a dream herself. The feeling of his lips on hers reassured her that it was in fact real. It was brief, but warm and soft and  _ right. _ In the moment, she couldn't stop herself from admitting, "I love you."

He couldn't believe his ears. The words he wanted to hear all year she finally spoke, but not to the version of him that she knew best. Yet he was so desperate for her love that he was willing to eat the crumbs that fell from her table. "I love you, Ladybug." Again their lips met, deeper and more passionate, at first desperate and unbelieving, then finally after a few minutes, gentle and secure.

Finally, they parted with giddy smiles.  _ You're finally mine _ , they both thought in their hearts. In the bliss of the moment, they each refused to consider all the questions that threatened to disrupt the ecstasy of their love.  _ This _ didn't make sense, knowing what they knew about each other, but it still felt right, and they weren't going to challenge that now.

Adrien couldn't suppress the sudden urge to yawn. A moment later, Ladybug followed suit.

He said, "I guess our bodies are telling us something."

"Yes. I think it's time I went home." The giddy grins never left their faces as they walked over to the open window. "Good night, handsome." They shared one last, short kiss.

"Good night, gorgeous." He stroked her cheek with one hand and she nuzzled in it for a few seconds before planting one kiss in his palm. 

"Bye." She jumped up to the windowsill, then launched her yo-yo and pulled herself away.

As he watched her vanish, he said, "Plagg?"

Plagg emerged from hiding. "Yeah?"

"I'm screwed."

"What else is new?"

Marinette detransformed as she fell through her trap door onto her loft bed. After a minute, she said, "Tikki?"

"Yes, Marinette?"

"I'm screwed."

Tikki sighed. "You're right, this is sure to get messy fast." She munched on her cookie and swallowed. "Rest for now, Marinette. We'll sort this out later."


	3. Ladybug kisses Adrien's forehead

She cherished his sleeping face for a few more seconds. Then, without quite realizing what she was doing, as though drawn by a magnet, Ladybug leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

As soon as she pulled away, he opened his eyes. "My Lady?" he mumbled sleepily. "You came!" Adrien reached up with both hands, pulling her head down to his and kissing her on the lips. After a few seconds, his eyes flashed open wide. Panicked, he let her go and sat up. "Is this real? Am I awake?" He quickly looked around the room, at his own arms, then back at Ladybug. "What are you doing here?"

Her heart was pounding, her eyes were wide with shock, and she had never felt her face so hot before. The feel of his lips lingered on hers, and it threatened to bring her thought process to a complete halt. Yet the Ladybug in her forced her to push aside her confusion and answer his question. "I had a nightmare. You got hurt. I was scared, so I came to check on you." 

"You're - you're real?" He reached out with his left hand to touch her shoulder. The feel of her super suit beneath his fingers convinced him that it was all real. He pulled his hand back sharply. "Um, thank you, for coming to check on me."

"You're welcome," she whispered. "I couldn't have fallen back asleep without knowing you were safe."

Blush appeared on his cheeks due to thorough embarrassment. "Did... um... did I really kiss you?"

She nodded.

"Did I say anything?"

She nodded again.

"What did I say?"

Ladybug's face contorted as she finally thought about what his words could mean. She looked down at his right hand on the bed, yet what she wanted to see was difficult to see clearly in the dark. With her two hands, she lifted his hand to her face and examined his ring. Realization dawned in her eyes, and her voice quavered. "You said, 'My Lady, you came.'" She looked back at his face.

He couldn't read her expression. Clearly, she knew, but how she felt about knowing, he couldn’t tell. "I'm - I'm sorry, I thought I was dreaming." He looked away in shame, knowing that he had disappointed her by compromising his identity. He hugged his knees to his chest, worried. "I don't want to give up my Miraculous."

Unbeknownst to him, Ladybug's line of thoughts had gone in a completely different direction. "Adrien... Cat Noir..." Speaking to the air, "Cat Noir is Adrien Agreste. Cat Noir loves Ladybug. So, Adrien Agreste loves Ladybug?" She shuddered. "Adrien, do you really love me?"

He looked back at her, examining her face. Curse his inability to read social cues! He couldn’t tell if she was asking in hope or with dread. Sadly, resigned, he said, "You know I love you, Ladybug. All of me loves all of you. I always have, and I always will." The sureness of his words confirmed that the fire of his love continued to burn brightly, though he looked and sounded hopeless, as though lost in a blizzard.

Ladybug shivered. The boy she loved turned out to be the partner that she had repeatedly rejected. The one he loved turned out to be her alter ego. _We've been so close all this time, and yet so far._ Suddenly, the memory of leaving her gift box on his bed returned to her. _The beret._ Her breath caught in her throat. _The reason Cat Noir discovered my identity in that other timeline was that Adrien is Cat Noir!_

She tried to remember what _Chat Blanc_ had said to her. Normally, she never put much stock into the things said by akuma victims, but suddenly it was of the utmost importance.

_"Things were purrfect until Hawk Moth found out about everything._

_"It was our love that did this to the world, My Lady._

_"My wish would be to fix everything so we can be in love again."_

Horror dawned on her face. _We were in love, and Hawk Moth found out and did something to upset him so he could akumatize him. We... we can't love safely as long as Hawk Moth has his power._ She couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks.

He couldn't read her thoughts, but her face said it all. _It's over. It's all over._ Crushed, Adrien buried his face in his arms and started weeping.

Ladybug was pulled out of herself by the sound of Adrien crying.

"Adrien."

No response.

_What should I do? I can't tell him I love him yet, but what can I do to reassure him?_

As though in battle, because she saw someone else hurting, she instantaneously pushed aside her own hurt and reactivated her commanding, compassionate persona. "Adrien, I'm not going to take away your Miraculous."

His sobs ceased. Cautiously, he peered up.

"I will never take away your Miraculous. You're the best partner I could ever have. I would never want another. No one could ever replace you. We're a team. We were, we are and we always will be a team."

The firm honesty in her eyes alleviated his worry. He smiled with cautious relief. She smiled in return, full and bright and... with something else, something bigger, something precious that seemed to want to explode out of her, but she wouldn't let it. She leaned in for a hug and he took it. They clung to each other, holding on tight with the perception that they had almost lost each other, that they may yet lose each other; that with each other, they could face anything the world could throw at them; that without... well, that was a possibility that they dare not even consider. They cried both tears of relief and tears of uncertainty, tears of joy and tears of pain, thankful for the confirmation of their mutual bond, mourning the impossibility of the love they so desperately wanted.

After several minutes, they finally parted. Looking into Adrien's eyes, Ladybug suddenly remembered where she was and who she was with, and began to feel self-conscious. She thought she should break the silence, but couldn't think of anything appropriate to say. "So..." she began with an awkward expression, "I guess you dream about me a lot, huh?" 

Adrien was mortified, his face clearly becoming a deep shade of pink, despite the darkness.

Her gaze shifted to the side as she gesticulated wildly with her hands. "I mean, maybe not, maybe you just happened to dream about me tonight, just like I happened to dream about you, but my dream was horrific and yours must have been really pleasant." Now Ladybug was mortified. _What is wrong with me?! Gah! Why am I saying this?!_

She put her face in both palms and groaned. "Why must I make everything awkward? Once again, I find myself rambling idiotically and I can't shut up."

Adrien chuckled under his breath. "Well, I could bring us to a higher level of awkwardness if I said, 'I can help you stop rambling. Just let the cat get your tongue.'" Marinette's bluebell orbs looked up in shock as he looked away. "But that sort of thing already got me into trouble tonight." He looked back at her curiously with a barely suppressed smirk. "But to answer your question, _Teammate_ ," then quietly, "yes, it was a pleasant dream, and yes, I dream about you day and night." With bravado, "Would you expect anything less from your lovesick kitten?"

Seeing that grin without the domino mask made her insides turn to jelly. _He is going to be the death of me._ Exerting every effort to retain her composure, she forced herself to remember why she couldn’t just give in to a wild make-out session with the boy of her dreams who was madly in love with her right here and right now. “Hawk Moth.”

“Huh?”

This time she said it confidently. "We must defeat Hawk Moth."

Adrien was puzzled. "That was an abrupt change of subject. Why the sudden seriousness, My Lady?"

"Because, only after we've defeated the super villains can I tell you who I am."

Adrien wondered. "You - you want to?"

Ladybug nodded. "Very much so." She stood up from the bed. "But one thing at a time. I think we've had enough excitement for one night. I know I have." She chuckled as she realized the irony. "I came here with the goal of being able to fall back asleep. After all this, now I certainly won't be able to." She smiled.

"Me neither." He smiled back.

"Well, one last thing before I go. Stay still. And I mean it! Stay absolutely still, like a..." she immediately regretted her word choice, recalling a certain day at the Wax Museum. "Well, just freeze. Don't move a muscle. Got it?" Adrien's stillness indicated his assent. Ladybug leaned in and kissed him on the forehead, then pulled away a good meter before speaking. "Good night, Adrien, Cat. I'll see you soon."

"Good night, Little Bug. See you soon."

She walked over to the window, turned and gave him a little wave. He waved back. Then she left.

Back in her loft bed, Marinette stared up at the ceiling as she spoke to Tikki. "Adrien kissed me." 

Tikki swallowed her mouthful of macaron. "Cat Noir kissed you."

Marinette laughed a hearty all-is-right-with-the-world laugh. " _He_ kissed me."

Tikki asked, "You're not going back to sleep, are you?"

Marinette answered, "Not a chance."

Lying in his bed with his hands behind his head, Adrien stared up at the ceiling. "Plagg?"

A sleepy "Hmmmh?" was heard.

"I still love her."

"Nothing could be more obvious."

"I thought she would take away my Miraculous."

Plagg flew up to his face. "I knew she wouldn't. Fu, maybe, but not Ladybug. Try to get some sleep, kid." He flew back to his pillow.

"Impossible."

"Then just stop talking."

Adrien lay there silently with a lovesick grin stretched from ear to ear.


End file.
